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Unicameral means "one-chambered", and the term almost always describes a governing body. Our federal legislature, like those of most democracies, is bicameral, with two legislative (lawmaking) bodies—the Senate and the House of Representatives. And except for Nebraska, all the state legislatures are also bicameral. So why did the nation decide on a bicameral system? Partly in order to keep some power out of the hands of ordinary voters, who the Founding Fathers didn't completely trust. For that reason, the original Constitution states that senators are to be elected by the state legislatures; not until 1914, after passage of a Constitutional amendment, did we first cast direct votes for our senators.
Examples of unicameral in a Sentence
Tal Axelrod, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2024
Ten political parties won seats in the unicameral legislature, with no party securing anywhere near a majority.
—Jorge G. Castañeda, Foreign Affairs, 1 Oct. 2021
After the governor rejected the program, thousands of Nebraskans signed a protest petition, and 19 members of the unicameral legislature backed a bill to force the state’s participation.
—Jason Deparle, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2024
The dynamics of Israel’s fluid multiparty unicameral democracy are different than America’s rigid two-party federal system.
—Micah L. Sifry, The New Republic, 13 July 2023
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Cite this Entry
“Unicameral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/unicameral. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.
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unicameral
adjective
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